


Even heros have the right to bleed

by Writeon



Category: Animorphs (TV), Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-17 00:11:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9295739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writeon/pseuds/Writeon
Summary: Rachel and Tobias try to get on with life after the war.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey this is my first fanfiction ever really posted. I don't have a beta and if someone/s would like to do it shoot me a message. I didn't finish all the books but I know most of the big stuff so if I get something wrong please lemme know and bare with me. Im a dreamer and a crappy writer. Sorry.  
> I dont own anything. If I did I would change things.

He stared out the car window into the evening sky. It was cloudy but a few patches of blues, pinks and yellows still showed up. It would have been a gorgeous evening if it hadn't been such a cold and cloudy day. He checked the time on his watch before gazing back out the window watching the scenery rush by.

“Just morph back. We are just in the car it's not like it really matters anymore.” The blonde girl who was driving told him. He could hear the attitude in her voice, she wasn't happy. And almost anymore it would always seem that way. School. Friends. Her mother. The only two who seemed to be spared most of it were her little sisters.  
Maybe because they were at the age she was when they first started fighting the Yeerks; and he figured she saw too much of her innocents in them, everything she had lost at such a young age. 

“No. I'm fine. It's a beautiful evening. The sky looks so colorful.” He responded, turning his attention to her. “Do you want to stop and eat something to eat or just wait until we get home?” He asked her, mostly to try and change the subject. 

She thought about his question for a moment. “Are you hungry? We can stop at the next town and get food.” She continued “then you can demorph and remorph in the bathroom and not have to do it in the car.”  
Tobias had approximately thirty minutes to demorph back into his red-tailed hawk state. Then back to human for another hour and forty five minutes. It was the same ritual approximately 15 times a day. He now spent most of his time as human again, and a red tailed hawk only a very short amount of time.

The war against the Yeerks had finally ended six months prior. They, the Animorphs had won; and all had made it out alive. Mostly. By now everyone knew who they were and morphing no longer required a private place. Andalites and humans worked together, along with other species. Most humans would never get to morph. To many issues, and just like with the Andalites only some got the morphing power. Ax had became a prince, and had just recently left for a while to fight some other war. His time spent on earth was used to start and foster a relationship between humans and Andalites. Rachel, Tobias and the others tried to go back to as normal of a life as possible. PTSD was a common word thrown around in there life now. They saw a number of therapists. 

“Why don't we stop? I'm not really hungry but then we can walk around for a bit. We have been sitting all day.”  
They had left early this morning for school testing. Traveling three hours each way to a university. Rachel had continued with school even during the war, but Tobias had missed three years of school and was struggling in his classes now. The idea with the testing was to figure out where he was at, and try to best find a plan to get him up to speed fast. He already was in tutoring a few days a week. Rachel had went along to test with him. She wasn't as far behind but she was determined to catch up with their classmates. Marco was going next week and Cassie and Jake had gone the week before.  
Rachel nodded at him. “Sounds good.” she started “or you can not morph back at all. Stay human.” 

He sighed and shook his head at her. “I spend nearly every minute of the day human. Why not just keep it the same?” This was a flight they had all the time. 

“Maybe I'm just trying to get some fucking normalcy in my life back Tobias. Maybe I don't want to be dating a fucking bird anymore. The Yeerks are gone! We don't have to fight anymore! You have a place to stay and people who love you Tobias! Or maybe I'm just not fucking important anymore.” she exploded at him. It was the same fight they had often. He compromised and spent nearly all his time human. He even slept as a boy every night except when she was gone. 

“I gave up being a hawk Rachel. For you. I've spent the past 6 months as a human.” She didn't respond and he didn't push it. He wouldn't win, and he wasn't ready to give up his morphing ability, even if it wasn't forever. They didn't talk for the rest of the time home. And when they got home he immediately felt bad. Rachel was still pissed off. 

“Hi guys! How did it go?” Rachel's mother, Naomi asked them as they walked into the front door.  
“Shove it mom. I don't need your motherly words now.” Naomi gave Tobias a questioning look and he gave her a small quick smile.  
“It went well.” He responded, trying to make up for Rachel's nasty attitude. Immediately he heard Rachel make an irritated noise and she left for the bedroom slammed the door behind her. 

“I'm sorry.” Tobias told her mother. She smiled at him “you're sorry? I don't have to sleep in the same room as her.” She smiled at him. When they had first ended the war she had been adamant that Rachel and Tobias would not share a room in her house, It wasn't what good parents encouraged. They didn't want to tell her he had already spent countless nights here, that the thing she was afraid of happening; sex had already happened. But after a few weeks of Rachel's nightmares and coming down to them sleeping together on the couch had vetoed that rule. Old enough to save the world, old enough to make choices was the reason. 

He bid her goodnight and headed upstairs. He stopped at the bedroom door he shared with Rachel, but hesitated and went to the next bedroom door that Rachel's sisters shared. He knocked on the door before hearing a come in. 

Both girls were working on homework when he opened the door. “Tobias!” Sarah all but squealed when she saw him. “Did you guys have fun?”  
Tobias smiled and nodded at her question; “it was good.” He looked over at Jordan “lots of homework?” He asked her. 

“Yeah. Do you think Rachel would help me with my report tomorrow? It's not due until next week but it's on someone who inspires you.” Jordan asked him.  
“I'm sure she will. I'll ask her when she's not so grumpy at me if you like.” He offered.  
“She’s grumpy again?” Sarah asked. “She's always grumpy.”  
Tobias bid them goodnight and went into the bathroom.

He morphed back to hawk and again to human before he went into the bedroom. The room was dark. He could make out the outline on the floor near the bed. She was hugging her knees into her chest face down.  
Pretty and strong Rachel had became pretty and broken Rachel. He was, with the exception of her therapist the only one who ever saw her break down. It both scared and upset him every time. She had been his ray of sunshine in the early days. The first person he loved and the first person who loved him back. But now he knew she struggled to just be. 

“Rachel.”

He could smell alcohol. In less than 20 minutes she had doused her troubles and fears in liquor; he was pretty sure she was going to be drunk. “Rach” he tried again. She looked up at him this time. He strained his eyes to try and figure out if she had been crying but gave up after a moment.  
“I'm going out.” she interrupted his thoughts.  
“You shouldn't” he pushed back slightly “morphing and drinking don't go well together.”

“fuck you.”

“I'm not going to leave you Rachel.”

“I said fuck you bird boy.” Her words stung, they always did when she became this angry. He still moved closer to her and sat down next to her on the floor. 

“I'm not leaving you Rachel. I'm not choosing someone else or something else over you. I've spent most of the past 6 months as a human. You're my life.”  
He wasn't sure why he was trying to reason with her, even if she accepted his reasons tonight in a few more days she wouldn't anymore. His therapist reasoned that she was feeling the helplessness she couldn't feel during the war. That having to be strong for everyone then was crushing her now. Her world was falling apart even though it stood just fine.  
“I love you Rachel.”

“You're going to go eventually.” she mumbled. Slight slurring. “You are a hero. You will find some girl who's normal. Who isn't me and you will love her. But i'm broken no one will love me.” He could see she had tipped her head back against the wall but she said nothing else. He got on the bed and down well he waited for her fit pass. He dozed off awaking to his alarm on his watch, telling him it would be time to morph back into his hawk body. He silenced his watch and lay in the quiet listening for Rachel for a moment. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, he always waited for her to calm down and come to bed. She made a small sound but nothing else. He listened momentarily, before morphing.  
He would give it up if it made her happy. She had given up so much of herself. 

“Baby. Come to bed.” He stroked her hair. He heard her choke back a small sob. She used to never cry. But now she always cried alone. He continued to stroke her silky blond hair. 

 

The next morning she was still asleep when the alarm when off for school. He could here Jordan and Sara getting ready and talking in the shared bathroom. He pulled himself out from Rachel's body and quickly morphed before getting ready to get in the shower. He quietly knocked on the bathroom door and waited for the two girls to finish and leave. He wasn't sure he really needed to shower as often as he did, but he did anyways as part of the human ritual. When he came out Rachel was awake sitting on the bed. 

“Morning beautiful” he greeted as he kissed her forehead, towel still wrapped around his waist.  
She gave a half smile, before she grumbled something inaudible and going into the bathroom to shower. He had never been big on pet names such as baby or beautiful. And he never really used them except when they were alone. But Marco and Jake had been more or less regularly hanging out with Tobias and some other guys after school. Marco called it human rehabilitation for Tobias. Sometimes a girlfriend would come by or guy talk would insure. They all had sweet names for the girl of the moment. Tobias was pretty sure calling Rachel Zena wouldn't win him any points. At first he started with beautiful. It was simple and true, and she was both inside and out. At first she put up a mild resistance, it wasn't about looks the inside mattered more.

She came back into the room after her shower, dressed in just a towel. Tobias quietly groaned, he saw her naked many times. Naked. Almost naked. In a leotard.

“I'm sorry” she told him; “about last night.” He just nodded at her. She takes his silence personally and at once he feels guilty. He didn't have to kill his own cousin. No one knew except them, no one else had survived. No one questioned. Many lives had been lost to the war. 

Rachel had to deal with being the brave one, who was reckless and unafraid and would kill if she had too. She was dark inside and she knew it. But she wasn't as brave as they all thought or as reckless or crazy or anything. She just did what had to be done.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wont lie I pretty much hate this chapter. Its really nothing of what I wanted but the best I could spit out.

Rachel had probably the hardest time of the group, adjusting to normal life. The freedom the new life offered. Parties. She would do practical any dare that didn't involves morphing or another guy. Chug alcohol, sit on a driving car hood, jump off a water tower into a pond. She turned her saving the world recklessness into just plain stupid teenage recklessness. Marco joined her at many of these parties, not so much the recklessness did he partake in, he had his limits, but being associated with her and the Animorphs made him accepted into the group that fed Rachel's stunt filled ambitions. She could almost always rely on Marco to come with her. He craved the attention. 

Tobias had gone along with her sometimes, no one really said anything negative to him after some kid, Bradley Smith had tried to pick on him. Rachel broke his nose. 

He didn't participate in the activities, sometimes he drank some. But he just kept an eye on her, not that he didn't trust her. Guy's hit on her all the time at these parties and guys hit on her even before the war ended. Rachel was her own person. 

Jake showed up to some of the parties as well. He, like Rachel had taken a liking to the numbness the alcohol brought and some of the party stunts. Alcohol seem to give them the ability to forget what happened. Cassie followed along even less. But the normalcy is what had her come. That's what normal teenagers did. All the parents dropped the reins on them. Jake's parents never asked what happened to Tom, and no one offered any information. No one pressed for any info about anything, except the Andalites. They pressed for information. 

Ax spared them as much as possible. Jake would always be his prince, even if he himself became a prince. Became the answer. He refused to go back to his people immediately, these humans were his family as much as any andalite. So every questioning, every meeting he stayed for. He threw around his brother's name in an effort to try make his people respect his prince. And it worked, a combination of his brothers name and his own thankfully gave him a standing.

Bradley wasn't the last to see Rachel's violent side. Some guy James Highland had made the unfortunate mistake of hitting on her and grabbed her shoulder when she turned away. He had ended up with a broken arm and concussion. Rachel spent three days in detention. She soon had a good enough report around the school and no one dared to cross her. She became widely known as a drinker and someone who wouldn't turn down a good dare.

Within weeks they all started in therapy. Individual and group, partly to try and curb Rachel's fighting, partly to help Jake feel less guilty, and to let them all forgive themselves for the choices they were forced to make.  
The Andalites had actually helped to train the therapists on some techniques that they used. The idea not to take the warrior or the war out of them, but to lessen the guilt of the fight. Mostly it was a safe place to vent or share. 

“We have group today?” Marco asked at school during lunch. They were all sitting at the same table, now no longer able to find much common ground with classmates, but still almost strangers themselves. 

“Yeah. Today is group, rather than Thursday.” Cassie responded. She stabbed at the unidentifiable food on her tray. Jake sat next to her. Rachel and Tobias on the other side with Marco. 

“They gave me a new guy. I mean he's not new to therapy just new to me.” Rachel shared. “I guess he is supposed to help me with my anger or something.” she shrugged her shoulders. Tobias furrowed his brow.

“Do you still have Jessica?” Jake asked her. “Yes. I believe the new guy, Mark? I think he is just controlling my medications.” 

“Makes sense. A psychiatrist.” Cassie continued to poke at her food not eating any of it.

Rachel just shrugged her shoulders.   
“I don't know.” 

Tobias knew what she was doing, she was shutting down a conversation she didn't want to have. Rachel had a hard time dealing with...with whatever was going on in her head. They were all broken, but she was on the edge of damaged. 

“Hopefully they can get them sorted out.” Jake spoke, then added “it was hard until they got mine sorted out.”   
Jake had suffered very closely to Rachel. The bell rang and cut them off. 

“What's your next class?” Cassie asked Tobias who was still getting used to going back to school. 

“I have culinary. Then art.” he confirmed after looking at his schedule. 

“Wow. They got you showing them how to make mouse burgers bird boy?” Marco said joking, earning himself a glare from Rachel that he ignored. “How did you get stuck in such a lame class.” The words had barely left his mouth before Rachel shoved him to the floor.

“Hey what the fuck!” Marco exclaimed picking himself up off the floor, a few kids looked over there way.   
Rachel didn't say anything as she stalked off. 

“Well I better go demorph before I'm late to class. Sorry Marco.” he apologized. 

“No problem man but she needs to chill, its not like I meant anything about it.” Jake and Cassie took off to Math and Tobias headed to his classroom. He actually picked culinary, something different and useful. Not a lot of cooking went on at Rachel's house. His teacher Ms. Mack said he had a natural talent for it. His first stop was in the bathroom where he demorphed and remorphed. They had private faculty ones he used sometimes but they were not on his way to class. On his way out in came Bradley and two of his punk friends.   
“Oh look who it is guys, we should be honored that this hero is in our presence.” He mocked Tobias. “Where is your crazy girlfriend? Shouldn't she be protecting you?”  
Tobias said nothing and pushed his way through them. He wished that Jake or even Marco was here with him. They let him go, and he felt more like it was so Rachel wouldn't kick their assess. He wouldn't tell her though, it wasn't her job to protect him, and he wasn't trying to encourage her behaviour. He walked into his classroom and was greeted by his teacher and another classmate he usually partnered with, Sammy.   
Sammy looked the complete opposite of Rachel. Dark brown hair that fell in waves around her shoulders. She was short, and pretty but not gorgeous like his Rachel. Most importantly she was nice and didn't treat him different. 

“Better late than never.” She greeted him with a smile. 

“You know me I like to be late.” He joked. 

“Fashionably late you almost always are.” She teased. He smiled. “Rachel dressess me otherwise nothing about me would be fashionable.”   
The teacher started talking telling the class about the next project they would be starting. 

 

Rachel was the first into the room they used for the group therapy. She had driven herself. She hadn't seen any of her friends since 5th period when her and Jake had American History together. She waited for the others to join her. She fished the book she had to read for English out of her bag. Her reading was interrupted by a man entering the room.   
“Rachel?” he asked her when she nodded he continued. “I'm Dr. Bower if you don't remember. Anyways I just wanted to know if you had time to come into my office after your session here today. We can take about an hour and go over your medication and start talking.” He offered. 

“Yeah” she agreed. Tobias had his own therapy appointment after this one. “Does my mother need to come down and sign anything?” She asked. 

“Nope. You are officially old enough to make your own medical choices even as a minor.” He explained to her “if you want to include your parents we can send you home with a change of medication form before we switch or add anything.”

Rachel shook her head no. “No it's okay.” 

They were interrupted when Jake, Marco and Cassie all three came into the room. The doctor bid her farewell and Rachel turned her attention to her friends. 

 

She sat in Dr. Mark Bowers office after her group session. Tobias had been almost 15 minutes late, that wasn't like him. He was always on time. Her thoughts were interrupted when the doctor came into the room. 

“Thanks for joining me Rachel” he smiled at her as he sat down behind the desk. He pulled two papers off his printer and handed them to her.   
“This is your current medication list. Is everything correct and current?” He asked as she scanned the paper. “Yes. I don't take these ones all the time though. Just as needed.” She said as she pointed to a group of sleeping aids. 

“Okay, and these are ones you have been on but quit?” He asked as he handed her a second list full of sleeping aids and mood stabilizers mostly. She nodded her head in agreement. 

“Okay then. How is sleeping going now with the medication you're on? Is it working? How are the nightmares?.” He picked up a notepad as he waited for her to answer. 

“Not as bad as at first. It just depends on the day.” she watched him write some things down.

“And your anger issues? How is everything going at home?”

She shrugged. “It could be better.” Rachel hated this part of therapists. Why did it always seems to matter how she was. Obviously if she was good she wouldn't be here. She came because people wanted her too and she really didn't want to think of herself as damaged beyond repair. But she didn't want to talk about her choices. Killing, making choices on who to save, the offer to kill Jake. These stories she never talked about with the therapists. She knew that these things were what they wanted to hear her talk about but she could never bring herself to do it. Jake too never spoke of it.   
No one really did, maybe Cassie. They never talked as much as they used to. They were not the same friends they had been. 

“Your related to one of the Animorphs? Jake? How is your relationship with him?” He looked at her over his glasses. 

“Alright I mean we talk and we hang out sometimes.” he wrote something down on his paper. 

“And you're in a relationship with Tobias? The nothlit?”  
She nodded her head in confirmation. “How is that?” he asked. 

“Fine.” She didn't want to talk about her friends who maybe we not even her friends much anymore. 

“Alright. I want to put you on a low dose of a new drug. It should help with some of your emotions. Help to keep them level and swe how that goes for a few weeks. It's a new one the Andalites introduced us to.” 

“Okay.” Rachel frowned. 

“So far the results have been great with few mild side effects and its seem many people can come off of it in a short amount of time. 3 to 4 months.” He told her. He handed her some paperwork and left to go fill her prescription.

 

The paper work was standard fare and she filled it out quickly.   
“Alright Rachel here you go.” he handed her a small pill bottle. “two a day one in the morning and one at night.”

“Alright.” She replied. “When do you want to see me again? “ She asked him. 

“How about every week after your group therapy?” He suggested. She nodded in agreement and picked up her purse and the pill bottle and left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onward. So I'm changing one thing. in chapter 1 I used the same bathroom that Rachel and her sisters shared that connected both room. However duh Rachels hows was/most likely destroyed. (I Never finished the books) so now she has her own bathroom. New house.

“Do you think that Rachel and I have a toxic relationship?” Tobias asked Anna, his therapist. They sat together in the same room that was used for the group therapy, Tobias preferred the open room to the more closed ones usually used for individual sessions; so whenever possible they used it.,999

“What do you think?” She asked him. She studied him, habit he guessed as even though he was more used to making facial expressions then he had been, he didn't always and she had to watch him for other cues. 

“I know what I think.” He replied in a huff. 

She was quiet for a moment “I think that if you were to look at your relationship as it is with no other factors, it would be considered toxic.” She told him, and for a moment his heart dropped. Even though he knew it. 

“But, and I stress this is a difficult and far from textbook. We don't exactly have research on child soldiers who were fighting a war against aliens with no one knowing.”   
She paused for a moment before continuing. “So you shouldn't ask if your relationship is bad, you should ask yourself. Do you both love each other? Do you see a future together? Do you try to build each other up? Or tear each other down? Do you want the same things? Do you feel good about stuff more then you feel bad?”

Tobias didn't say anything for a moment. “She keeps pushing for me to give up morphing to be a human.” He told her. “She gets so angry, not always at me but sometimes it is me, mostly about the hawk thing.”

Anna nodded her head. “How do you feel about it.” She prodded. 

“What if she changes her mind and I'm not good enough for her anymore. She's my everything. I love her so much, but sometimes I wonder if she can even love me back.” He confessed. “She has so much rage and anger and I don't know, the war brought out something inside her that...I don't know she so angry and will fight almost over anything.”

Anna gave him a small smile. Rachel was probably his biggest worry, short of not belonging. “Remember everyone shows love differently, it's not always what she says or does at every point. She will have up and down times just like you will.” 

Tobias sat their for a moment.   
“What if she stops loving me, what if I give up morphing and she decides I'm not worth the trouble anymore. What if..” he trails off. 

“We don't have the answers to the what ifs Tobias.” Anna tells him. “You don't just do for Rachel, you have to do for you just as much. Rachel loves you, in some ways you're the only grounding she has anymore. She pushes, you have to set boundaries.” 

“Do I give up morphing for her?” he questioned. “Maybe, maybe if I show her I want to always be with her.” He stops talking and they sit there in the silence. 

“I need her.” He finally croaks out. Anna just nods and he isn't sure if she is in agreement or just accepting what he is saying. 

Tobias leaves a few minutes later after remorphing; Rachel is sitting out in her car waiting for him. He considers again maybe getting his license so he can drive himself. He would have flown if not for his backpack of books and school work that he can't risk losing. 

“Hey you.” She greets him with a warm smile, and he kisses her quickly. “Did you have anything you wanted to do before we go home?” She asks him. 

“No, let's go flying today?” He asks her hopefully, when he was a bird, especially before the Eliminist gave him his morphing ability back most of the dates they shared were flying together. They didn't do it as often now, and he missed it.

“I don't know I have a test in physics tomorrow, and history.” 

“Please.” He almost begged. She grinned, a happy normal grin not her pissed off grin she gave most of the time. 

“Yes.” 

 

She drove them down to the beach. It wasn't to crowded. Not that they had to hide morphing anymore. They both stripped down to their morphing suits and left the clothes in her car, they flew around riding the thermals for almost two hours until Rachel needed to demorph. Then they sat in the warm sand watching the water. 

“I love you.” he blurted out breaking the silence. She laid her head on his shoulder. He could smell her shampoo. 

“I love you too.” 

He kissed her. It was sweet, almost innocent. But at that moment all he really wanted to do was pour every emotion Rachel gave him into it. Would she still love him in three years? Five? What If she was just able to love him until she was ready for something better, bigger. 

“What's wrong?” She questioned, her face scrunching up in confusion. “Anna push you to far today?” 

“No..No. I just. I.” He stopped. He didn't know how to say it. How do you ask someone if they will love you as long as you need it. 

“I love you” he repeats. Giving her a lopsided smile. She kinda shakes her head at him, and nods, still looking confused. 

“I love you too Tobias.” She replied amused. “Want to fly some more?”

“Always.” he grinned at her.

They morphed again and took off into the sky, flying until the sun started to set and the warm thermals faded.  
They morphed back next to the car, a few people who walked by them gave them a strange look. Rachel got into the car and turned the heater on. Days might have been warm, even for early November but the nights and evenings cooled down considerably, and just wearing her morphing leotard was not enough. 

“What should we do for dinner?” She asked him when he got in. 

“I don't care. What would you like?” He wasn't really hungry. Maybe because he was in morph, but most of the time he ate because he needed to, not because he felt hungry. 

“I don't know, I'm not really hungry. Im sure there is some leftover pizza at home from dinner tonight.”

Rachel hardly ate most of the time she picked at the food. Part of the reason Tobias had tried the culinary class was in an attempt to make sure Rachel ate, she was more likely to eat, and eat more when he cooked it. 

“You want me to make you dinner?” He asked and they pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. 

“No I'm not really hungry Tobias.” She told him. 

“You didn't even touch your food at lunch Rachel, and I don't think you ate breakfast.” He challenged her.

“It's okay, I'll eat some yoghurt or cottage cheese when we get home.” 

He was pretty sure she was losing weight, she had always been thin, even with the curves she developed as puberty started ramping up; but she seemed thinner, more boney and less soft. He let it go, he would just make more meals, and hopefully she would eat. 

When they got home her sisters were watching TV and her mom working on paperwork in the kitchen. 

“Where have you two been.” Naomi asked when they walked into the house. Tobias was surprised, she hardly ever asked anymore, Rachel and him did pretty much what they wanted.

“We had therapy, then we went flying at the beach mom.” Rachel said as she opened a container from the refrigerator and grabbed a spoon eating a few bites before handing it to Tobias. He shook his head and she shrugged, took another few bites and put it back. Then she grabbed an apple and a water bottle. 

“I know you're both independent, but sometimes It would be nice to know where you're at.” Naomi told them. 

“You know mom, I'm pretty sure I can handle anything big and bad anymore.” Rachel responded, her tone light and almost teasing. “I'll try to keep you in the loop next time mom.” 

Tobias was pretty sure Naomi was in shock, and had been expecting a war over her request. 

“Thank you.” 

They talked about school and some about therapy. Safe chit chat. Her mom asked about flying. She wasn't big on watching them morph, it creeped her out too much.

“Okay, I think I'm going to go shower and go to bed.” Rachel told her. They bid her goodnight and climbed the stairs to the bedroom.

“Do you want to take a shower with me?” Rachel asked him. She started to strip off her clothes preparing for her shower as she waited for his response. 

“Yeah I guess.” He wasn't a big fan of sharing the shower with her, she liked them far too hot for his taste, and it was always more awkward than sexy. But she enjoyed it, so he did it sometimes. 

She grabbed a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt of his, most likely for herself to wear and not him, she liked to wear his stuff to bed, and he wasn't complaining he liked it just as much. 

She went into the bathroom to start the water and he took the time to demorph and remorph before joining her. The bathroom was already full of steam when he opened the door. He stepped into the spray of water when Rachel pushed him up into the wall and kissed him. He moved his hands to her waist running them up and down her sides as he kissed her back. They made out for a few moments until Rachel pulled away. 

“Shower.” She told him in cave-woman-speak. He bent down and kissed her one last time. Before dipping completely under the burning hot spray to get completely wet. He washed her hair for her, and her back rubbing her back and shoulders. They finished washing and toweled off. 

“Will you dry my hair for me?” She asked him as she hands him the hair dryer. He loves doing this for her. He  
has always loved her hair. He slips on the boxers she brought in as she is pulling his t-shirt over her head. 

After they were done they made their way to the bed. They didn't even make it to the bed before the making out starting, hands over body parts. Kissess. He pushed his shirt up over her head. “That was a waste of time to put on.” He mumbled in between kisses to her neck and collarbone. 

They are better at it then they had been the first few times. By now, they have messed around enough times that he knows what she likes. The little noises that she makes, he longs to hear just as much of them as he does her laughs. When they are here, he truly feels like her equal and is comfortable in his own skin.

“You need to morph back.” She tells him sleepily as she scoots away from him to give him room. 

“No.” He tells her quietly. “I don't.” 

She doesn't say anything at first.

“Morph back!” She's more urgent than the first time. 

“Too late.” He tells her, reaching for her to pull her back too him. 

She doesn't budge. 

“It's what you want.” He tells her. 

“You can't do it for me!” She's upset. 

“Rachel” he touches her face pushing her hair out of her face and behind her ear. “I wanted to. I promise I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't wanted to.” It was a lie.

He felt more at home as a hawk, he didn't have the same problems to deal with. But that world was not where Rachel belonged. She needed a world with people. She had a family. She was loved. She was his world. He wouldn't tell her Ax had promised him a chance to regain his morphing powers. If it didn't work he didn't want her to feel guilty. He scooted closer to her, curving his body around hers. 

“I love you” He told her.


End file.
